BROWSE BY COLOR

Active Seats

Active Seats

Despite what the term implies, public spaces are often the most isolated spots of all. Two young designers — one from Korea and another from the Netherlands — are seeking to change this with interactive outdoor seating that encourages talking over texting.

Screw It: Korean-born Neulhae Cho created his cheekily named twisted modules from 12 pieces of wood, each held together by weight-bearing hardwood joints. The two individual seats (in plain and stained-black ash) can be fitted together into a tubelike bench or kept apart as separate chairs. Nuelhae

Chitchat: Hoping to start conversations, Teun Fleskens designed his roly-poly seat (pictured above) to move every time someone sits down. “Strangers have to search together for the best balance,” he explains. “This inevitably leads to interaction.” Fleskens hopes this playful approach will “break the ice.” Ghyczy